1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a method and apparatus for remotely observing manual manipulations and, more particularly, to a remotely controlled television system operating in conjunction with a locally controlled illumination system for observing such manual operations as surgery.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the prior art serveral techniques have been utilized to mount cameras in a fashion which allows them to follow the head movement of an individual in an attempt to synchronize the field of view of the camera with the field of view of the individual involved. These include attempts to produce video and film photograph of such intricate manual manipulations as surgical procedures and the like. One commonly used method for viewing surgical operations involves the use of one or more dolly-mounted cameras (including operators) and/or overhead-mounted remotely aimed and controlled cameras.
The use of a head-mounted camera system is also shown by the prior art. A device of this nature is illustrated and described in a patent to P. P Dukich, R. L. LeChevalier and J. A. Volk (both Dukich and Volk are co-inventors in the present application) U.S. Pat. No. 3,919,475 issued Nov. 11, 1975 and assigned to the same assignee as the present invention. By that invention there is described a head-mounted camera system which includes remotely controlled focusing and aiming optics and a remotely aimed illumination system. The camera, optical focus, line of sight, plus all video control including monitoring and recording (if desired) and operated by a single operator at a remote control console which may be located outside the work area. The illumination system of that invention includes a cold illumination system (having separate sources such as fiber optic optical bundles) which are ridgedly attached to the head-attached camera unit. The mounting of the illuminators is such that both are bore-sighted to the camera line of sight so that the illumination system illuminates subject matter coincident with the field of view of the camera system. Thus, the location lighted by the illumination system is also controlled remotely with the aiming of the camera.
While that system has been successfully used in the past to produce excellent video results, it does suffer from certain limitations. Whereas the bore-sighted illumination system operated in conjunction with the remote focusing and aiming systems presents an advantage to the remote operator of the television camera system, the remote aiming of the illumination system has been found to interfere with the work of the surgeon or other wearer of the head-attached television system. A wearer accustomed to wearing a standard head-mounted illuminator such as is typiclly worn by surgeons tends to steer the light field to suit his needs by rotating and/or nodding his head slightly. When such a wearer uses a head-attached television, he likewise attempts to steer the light field by moving his head. The remote operator or controller of the head-attached television system, however, is at the same time attempting to remotely controlling the field of view of the camera and with it the light field. The position of the light desired by the surgeon and the remote controller often do not coincide. In fact, they may often be at odds. The wearer, although unconcerned with the remote camera operation, moves his head to center the light field as he desires. This also shifts the camera field of view and the remote controller reacts to recenter the camera field which also shifts the light field. This cycle may continue until the limit of remote adjustment is reached at which point the wearer can control the location of the illumination field. However, he generally will have to hold his head in an unusual and/or uncomfortable position and the remote operator is no longer able to properly center the action in the camera field of view.